Anybody catch this last night? I only got to see bits and pieces, I caught the whole Kiss set though, they rocked as usual. Queen without Freddie was dull, I missed both DL'S and Judas Preist sets.

Well i caught a little bit more in the rerun of it. But i actually liked Queens performance, mainly because it showed me how younger bands couldnt keep up with Brian May and Roger Taylor. I missed Judas priest altogether, mainly because i never really dug them at all. Def Leppeard seemed alright from what I saw, Kiss sounded good but Paul Stanley's voice is shot. The only guest performers i saw were the Foo FIghters opening the show doing "Tie your Mother Down" which was OK but got a million times better when Brian May joined them on stage and the musicians seemed to pick up their game, because early in the song it wasnt that great. My only complaint about the Queen performances were that Roger and Brian didnt do any lead vocals, and yet on tour they have been doing alot, especially Roger. I know people hate the idea of someone else fronting the band, but look, i have been a Queen fan forever, and the debate of replacing lead singers can go on for days. But in the end its up to the band, i think when the Death of the Lead singer is involved its much different than "kicking out" the lead singer, when death is involved you have to respect what the band does even if you dont like it, just move on, cherish it, but move on. I think Brian Mays quote on the show about how he "hated when people said Freddie was important because he died of Aids, Freddie was important because he made some of the greatest music ever". I think it should be added that the four members of Queen are possibly the greatest all around lineup ever, the best at their parts.

Judas Priest's performance was pretty exciting. Rock just isn't what it used to be with these young new bands.

By the way, Joe Elliot's voice sounded shot. I don't think he can hit those high notes any more. Good show all in all...

The guy from Def Leppard's voice did not sound good at all. On the records, it's much higher.
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[Edited 6/1/06 12:36pm]

I thought the show last night was awesome! Def Leppard was my favorite band being honored but I love them all (except Judas Priest...they're cool but I don't know many of their songs).Joe Elliots voice sounded good to me....

vainandy said:

He sounded awful.

lilgish said:

He sure did. He sounded like he was hoarse and straining. I guess after a certain age your voice changes. He should consider some coaching though before he does some damage.

Paul Stanley amazes me to this day. He is the main reason that Kiss has persevered through all this time, lineup changes, and non-makeup years. In the mid 80s, while Gene Simmons did the Hollywood thing, Paul kept writing good rock songs and the band survived. Because of a hip problem, and the pain that stems from it, for the last few years he has been unable to climb the stairs to the stage without serious problem. He's had 2 hip surgeries, yet you would never know it from seeing him perform. He always gives it everything he's got.

I remember seeing KISS in August 2004. It was like a week after Paul had collapsed from exhaustion at a show in Florida. The guy was awesome that night. At one point, I could see an IV port in his arm where he was obviously being given fluids backstage between sets. Through all this, the guy was still the ultimate frontman, and sounded great.

To be honest, I think his voice has gotten better over the years. I've got a CD of him when he performed the lead in the Phantom of the Opera a few years ago. Pretty freakin' impressive. The guys rocked pretty hard the other night having not played together in almost a year as well. And Paul certainly sounded better than most of the singers the other night, especially Joe Elliot (Def Leppard). Foo Fighters did a good job. Godsmack was awesome, and The All-American Rejects should have been rejected. They were awful - their singer just can't sing. No range whatsoever. They butchered that Def Leppard song.

In my opinion, Paul Stanley is the definition of the term: ROCK STAR.

On the VH1 movie about Def Leppard's life, when they were recording "Bringing On The Heartache", they altered his voice so it would be higher. I guess they probably continued altering it. They can't alter it when you sing live though.

vainandy said:

seriously, there's no point in doing studio tricks if you can't do it live in concert. everyone will know...

JulesWindu said:

Wow, very nice post. Many folks on here know that I'm a HUGE KISS fan. Have been since I was very little. I saw the Rock Honors. Paul did sound good and I agree, he is the one who kept KISS on track while Gene got totally caught up in other shit. Paul was always the best writer of the group anyways. Not crazy at all about how KISS looks in makeup today. Paul and Gene are entirely too heavy and too old to be wearing the costumes. Saw them three times in my life. Once when I was a kid with the o.g. lineup in 78, again in 88 with Bruce and Eric Carr and agin on the reunion tour. They looked good on that tour, considering the weight and the age. But now...nah. But they did put on a great show.

blackguitaristz said:

That's funny that you they are too old and heavy to wear the costumes cuz I was actually thinking they didn't look too bad and in fact having the make up on makes it seem like they haven't aged much. Gene may be to heavy but I don't think Paul is.

I thought it was bizarre that Kiss had "fake" Ace and Peter when just a few minutes before them you had the tribute to Kiss with Ace Frehley.But they were all hugging at the end of the show so I guess all's well. I'm an o.g. Kiss fan as well. It's funny cause all the bands being honered were important to me at some point growing up.